Constructionist social work in the opinions of social work students and social workers. The example of the Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)

Abstract

Social constructionism is one of the important contemporary theories used by social workers. Mary K. Rodwell, Stanley Witkin and Peter de Jong point to similarities between the assumptions of constructionism and social work, and to minor differences between them. Solution Focused Therapy is a model example of a constructionist practice. It uses unique types of questions, although therapists also use additional questions and interventions.Empirical research on the use of Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) by employees of social welfare centres was conducted, among others, in 2006 and 2019.The results of the opinion survey of social workers on the value and usefulness of SFT in their work were compared. The first study was conducted in 2006, i.e., at the beginning of the implementation of this method in social welfare centres in Poland. The second study was conducted in 2019 in social welfare centres in Maopolska voivodship. The respondents positively assessed the usefulness of some SFT elements in working with customers (and in their own lives), especially questions about exceptions, scaling questions and the increase in self-confidence.The author also conducted his own survey of the opinion of students of social work at the Jagiellonian University about the SFT course. Like social workers, the students spoke positively about the method in a comparable way. SFT weaknesses included omitting the customer's past, time consumption and the so-called miracle question.Typical difficulties for students in learning SFT are the following: ignoring customer resources, avoiding controversial and conflicting topics, and not considering the other party's opinion as a basis for changing their thinking.Conclusion: social work and education find partial use of SFT. Most of SFT's specific questions and focus on the customer's strengths were appreciated by social workers and students. Difficulties in accepting this method lie in the attachment to the idea of diagnosis as an essential component of social work and the idea of objective reality.